Project Budget: $49,000 Deadline for Submissions: May 4, 2018 CITY OF PHILADELPHIA James F. Kenney, Mayor OFFICE OF ARTS, CULTURE AND THE CREATIVE ECONOMY Kelly Lee, Chief Cultural Officer Margot Berg, Public Art Director Jacque Liu, Percent for Art Project Manager
INTRODUCTION The City of Philadelphia s Percent for Art Program, through the Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy (OACCE) announces a $49,000 competition to commission a site-specific artwork at Fire Station. This commission is part of the $5 million City construction and renovation project by the Department of Public Property and the Philadelphia Fire Department. OVERALL SITE DESCRIPTION is located in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood of Philadelphia. It is the City s oldest active firehouse, designed in 1894 by architect John T. Windrim. The building is a registered landmark on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Beginning in late 2018, the City of Philadelphia will begin major construction on, whose total site occupies approximately one quarter of an acre, or 12,000 square feet. Plans include extensive renovations to the existing building and a major addition to housing the fire trucks. The objective is to provide a facility that can accommodate modern fire truck apparatuses. On the exterior, the existing façade will be completely conserved; and the new addition is thoughtfully integrated, echoing the historic architecture in form and color. The result is an improved fire station that preserves its status as a neighborhood landmark. Renovations to the existing building include, but are not limited to: all exterior façades, the historic apparatus door openings, all interior support spaces, and the watch room. The addition will be a two-bay, single volume, one-story space for fire trucks that physically links to the existing building. The site plan carefully considers the entire lot, extending beyond the existing and proposed building structures. This includes surrounding landscaping and paving as well as fire fighter parking. For example: plantings of flowering and evergreen vines will be serve as a buffer between the parking and the adjacent neighbor; where the existing apparatus apron paving is removed, new ground cover planting and lawn will maintain a low planar relationship to the street; and to the rear of the existing building will be a paved patio area which will serve as an outdoor area for the firefighters. 1
ART COMMISSION OPPORTUNITY The Percent for Art Program, the Philadelphia Department of Public Property, and the Philadelphia Fire Department seek to commission an outdoor artist-designed seating element, which is high quality, original, and site-specific. The location for this artist seating has been identified as one of the grassy areas in front of the firehouse. If necessary, the City will provide a concrete belowgrade foundation for this commission. More information, as well as a site visit of the existing firehouse and surrounding area, will be given at the Pre-Proposal Meeting. Some themes which are of interest to the community include: the historic neighborhood; the history of the fire department at this site originating as a volunteer organization and metamorphosing to a staffed facility, the oldest continually operating fire station in the city; the element of water the fire fighters use, and the site s location within the Wissahickon Creek watershed; the local geology of the area comprised of the Wissahickon bedrock formation, and the use of Wissahickon Schist for the existing structure. A budget of $49,000 has been allocated for this Percent for Art commission. This sum is inclusive of all artist(s) fees, insurance, fabrication, installation, travel, and all other project related expenses. ELIGIBILITY AND SELECTION CRITERIA This competition is open to artists and artist-teams who reside in the United States. The City of Philadelphia reserves the right to determine additional eligibility requirements. Artwork will be selected based on creativity, artistic merit, technical proficiency, and relationship to the site. Long-term maintenance, durability, and public safety concerns will be major selection criteria. Artists are required to comply with applicable rules, contracts, and procedures of all governmental boards and agencies of the City of Philadelphia. 2
Renderings and Site Images (All renderings and images courtesy of Cecil Baker + Partners Architects) 3
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SELECTION PROCESS The selection process will take place in two stages. Stage 1 consists of this Request for Qualifications (RFQ), due May 4 at 5 p.m. Applicants will be reviewed by OACCE as well as representatives of the commissioning agencies based on the stated criteria. Up to five (5) applicants will be selected to submit full proposals. Stage 2 consists of a full proposal from the applicants selected from Stage 1. Selected artists will be required to submit a formal proposal consisting of narrative text, proposed budget, and images. An independent selection panel will review all applications. Stage 2 applicants will be required to give an in-person presentation. Stage 2 applicants will receive a $750 honorarium to cover research, administrative, and logistical costs. The artist/artist team selected will be required to enter an agreement with the econtract system on behalf of the City of Philadelphia prior to commencing. No selection shall be deemed final until a proposal has been fully approved and an agreement properly executed by the artist and the City. If a finalist is not selected from the original finalist group, the City reserve the right to re-open the call for artists. PROJECTED TIMETABLE (PLEASE SAVE THESE DATES) Issue Call April 10, 2018 Submission Deadline 5 p.m. on May 4, 2018 Finalist Notification Mid-May 2018 Pre-Proposal Meeting* Early-June 2018 Proposals Due Mid-July 2018 Panel Presentation* Mid-July 2018 Artist Notification Late-July 2018 Artwork Fabrication August 2018 Spring 2020 Artwork Installation Spring 2020 * Your in-person attendance at the Pre-Proposal Meeting and Panel Presentation is required; if you are unable to attend, you must arrange for a proxy who is familiar with your work to attend in your place 6
STAGE 1/RFQ APPLICATION PROCEDURE Call to Artists/Request for Qualifications Email the following to Jacque.Liu@phila.gov via a file-sharing program such as Dropbox (https://www.dropbox.com/) or Hightail (https://www.hightail.com/): (Applicants unable to use Dropbox or Hightail can send a CD to: Jacque Liu, Percent for Art Project Manager, 116 City Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19107) - Submit eight (8) digital work samples of your artwork o Images should be labeled as last name, first name, and number; for example: Smith_Jane_01 o Images should be saved as JPGs, GIFs, or PNGs at 72 dpi with 1200 pixels as the widest dimension - Submit the following information as A SINGLE Word or PDF document: o Artist Info: Name, Address, Phone, Email, Website, Race (optional), how you heard about the call (optional) o Statement of Interest: This brief cover letter may include related experience, artistic ambitions, and/or a description of your vision for the site; you may include proposed images, if applicable (One text page maximum, including images) o Resume or Bio (Two-page maximum) o Image Identification Sheet: These must correspond to the numbers of your submitted images. List your images as: Title. Year. Materials. Dimensions. Location (if applicable). Project Budget (if applicable). o Title your document as last name_first name_info; for example: Smith_Jane_Info - General application guidelines o Submit what you believe is your strongest work, in the context of this commission opportunity o Submit your work samples in the order you would like them to be reviewed o For images with details: show the overall image first, followed by detail images o Do not send additional catalogs, reviews, promotional items, or original artworks; they will not be reviewed o Incomplete or ineligible submissions will not be reviewed; it is the applicant s responsibility to verify the completeness of their application The application deadline for submission is May 4, 2018 at 5 p.m. 7
NOTIFICATION OF RESULTS All applicants will receive notification by email. Please do not call the Percent for Art Program, the Selection Panel, or any members of the project team directly for competition results. The City of Philadelphia reserves the right to change, modify, or revise the Call for Artists, in part or whole, at any time without prior notice. The City of Philadelphia reserves the right to make no selection for this call to artists. CONTRACT AWARD The artist/artist team selected will be required to enter an agreement with the City of Philadelphia through econtract prior to commencing. No selection shall be deemed final until a proposal has been fully approved and an agreement properly executed by the artist and the City. If a finalist is not selected from the original finalist group, the City reserves the right to return to the original group of artists who responded to this call to artists or otherwise solicit proposals. ABOUT THE OFFICE OF ARTS, CULTURE AND THE CREATIVE ECONOMY The Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy s (OACCE) mission is to support and promote arts, culture, and the creative industries; and to develop partnerships and coordinate efforts that weave arts, culture, and creativity into the economic and social fabric of the city of Philadelphia. The OACCE manages and oversees City arts programs, provides services to artists and arts organizations and serves as the primary point of municipal contact for local organizations, businesses, artists and creative entrepreneurs. As Philadelphia s local arts agency, the OACCE works in cooperation with the Mayor, City Council, and other municipal offices to make Philadelphia a great place to live, work and visit. ABOUT PERCENT FOR ART Enacted in 1959, the Percent for Art ordinance requires that one percent of the total dollar amount of any construction project that includes City funds be devoted to the commissioning of site-specific public art. The first of its kind in the nation, the program has commissioned over 300 works of art. The intent of the Percent for Art Ordinance is to enhance the City s public environment by incorporating exceptional site-specific works of art. 8